The Before Time: A Prequel
by zombiefodder
Summary: I ll be adding chapters! Anyway, this story follows the main character Joey and her 7 companions after the epidemic strikes, leaving them as survivors to reach a safe place and keep the human race alive.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

It was midnight. I woke up groggily to the sound of breaking glass and a shrill scream. The undead had been coming at us relentlessly for days now. I kicked my legs over the side of the couch and ran to the master bedroom where the scream came from. Out of habit now, I grabbed the gun and had it aimed for the walking corpse by the time I reached the door. I shot, not hesitating to reload my gun. The dead man toppled backwards before splitting his head on the bed post.

He was dead long enough to the point where blood wasn`t even in his system anymore. "Sickening.", I said to nobody. As I spat on the creature, a little face popped out of the closet.

"Is it gone Joey?", asked the little girl.

"Yeah. It`s gone. Who knows what he did to deserve that."

My name is Joey Haston, and with my two sisters and my three best friends in tow, we`ll make it to safety. A paradise where the decaying flesh of poor, lost, flesh-craving souls can`t reach us. It was supposed to be in the middle of a huge forest in Washington. Right now, we were in Nebraska, coming in from Iowa. It would take a long time to reach our goal, but I know we can do it.

Hershel came in with Sam clamped tightly to his arm. Hershel is my absolute best friend. We`ve known each other since I can remember. He has a neatly cut head of black hair and blue eyes. Sam, who is the older one of my sisters is 12 and scares too easily. I don`t blame her though. She has light blonde hair that`s short. My hair is the same light blonde, but I keep mine in a high pony tail. However, where she has gray eyes, I have dark green eyes like Heidi my other sister.

Stan and Isabel were the last ones to come in as we regrouped to check each other for bites and scratches. Stan ran a hand through his brown hair and held me. We were engaged when this epidemic started, but now we`re not just in case one of us dies. Isabel turned to the body. "Josephine, what the hell were you thinking? Tù es una chica loca!"

I nodded and grabbed Heidi`s hand. "We need to start moving before the others come to feast on their fallen comrade. Let`s go."

We grabbed what we could carry. With guns and ammo strapped to our backs and three big backpacks filled with matches, food, water, spare clothes, soap, and a first aid kit, we marched out the door in a group. Standing back to back with Sam and Heidi in the middle, we made three blocks before the first moans came into earshot. I swung my rifle in front of me. Sam whimpered behind me and Heidi clutched on to her.

Armed, we walked warily past the city limits and into the countryside. Most zombies hang out in the city, where majority of people would rather be. Not to mention other fellows of the undead. By the time we reached Kimball city limits, it was already light out. The place was a ghost town. I mean, it wasn`t very big to begin with, but compared to now, it would seem like a buzzing metropolis.

Papers fluttered across the ground and a mix of dust and dirt formed dust devils on the pavement. The gas station was have burned down and the buildings were covered with blood stains. I heard Sam and Heidi start to cry. Stan sighed, "Poor guys. This whole place was probably lunch. Promise me if I ever die, you`ll shoot me three times to make sure I stay dead."

I nodded and put a hand on his cheek. "I promise. And in return, you do the same for me. But make sure Sam and Heidi don`t see."

"Of course, Joey. I`m not so cruel as to make your little sisters watch you die. They`ve seen enough."

Hershel pointed out an alley. "You guys hear that? Someone`s rummaging a trash can."

Isabel tensed and said, "How do we know it`s not something? Besides, allies lead to dead ends. That`s the last thing we need. Not only would things be trying to gnaw on us, we`d be stuck and have to use our ammo."

Heidi`s quivering voice surprised us all. "Well, if it`s a person, we can`t leave them. Can we Joey?"

I sighed, "Stan and I will check it out. Heidi and Sam, take the machetes. Hershel and Isable, please keep watch."

Everybody nodded and Stan took my hand as we tiptoed toward the sound of clanging metal. Old candy wrappers, plastic containers, papers, and crushed cans littered the pavement. The street was filled with puddles where potholes had filled with rain water. We heard a splash, a swear, and saw a metal garbage can hit the brick. A man yelled, "Screw it! I`m gonna die and turn into one of those freakin` monsters! Damn it all to hell!"

Stan yelled in a lighthearted voice, "You should watch your language. People`ll take you for an asshole!"

A head of 23 year old man appeared. With a gun. He poked it toward us. "And you are?"

I spoke clearly, "Survivors. Plain and simple. There`s six of us. Four teenagers and two children. Who are you?"

He emerged wearing an old, stained t-shirt and jeans filled with holes. "I`m also a survivor. It`s jus` me an` my dog. I`m lookin` for people to travel with. Better survival chances. Can I come along with you?"

Stan nodded. "Sure. Don`t even try to steal our stuff and leave us. That makes more blood on your hands."

He put his gun down and kicked it towards us. Walking towards us slowly, he picked it up again and walked in front of us all the way to the rest of the group. He smiled and said, "Well, if we`re travelin` together, might as well get acquainted. I`m Frank and this-". He let out a shrill whistle and a big shaggy dog came out of nowhere, "is Buster."

Gesturing to everyone and then myself I said, "This is my boyfriend Stan, my two sisters, Sam and Heidi, Hershel, and Isabel. And I`m Josephine, but I go by Joey."

He lifted his chin up and replied. "Nice to meet you, Joey. I think Buster and your sister are gonna be great friends."

I looked over my shoulder. Sure enough, Sam was cuddling Buster while he licked her. That`s good, I thought, she needs something to give her a sense of security. Heidi giggled as Buster nudged his nose into her shoulder and licked her ear. She squealed, "Eww! Dog spit!"

Everyone was laughing. We made our way through Kimball in less than half an hour. By now it was about eight in the morning. Heidi was sleeping piggy-back on Isabel and Sam was walking next to Buster. I yawned and Stan let me lean into his shoulder while we walked. I thought of how different things were two weeks ago. Stan had proposed three days before the epidemic got out of quarantine. It spread like wild fire. We had an apartment in Des Moines, but my sisters and parents lived in Sioux City.

We had hitchhiked before cars were too dangerous and risky to use. By the time we got to the house in Sioux City, I had to use the emergency shot gun on Mom and Dad. Stan found Heidi in a closet and Stan locked in the bathroom with a butcher`s knife. I felt tears roll down my cheeks as I thought about my parents. My mom was one of the prettiest women I`d ever seen, but she was down to earth. We fought a lot.

Stan stopped and hugged my suddenly. He whispered gently, "Hey. You okay Joe?"

I nodded and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Yeah, I just hate what`s happened."

We kept walking as he said, "Everyone does. But this`ll blow over and everybody`s going to be okay."

I grabbed his hand. "And then we can get married and start a family, right? And Heidi and Sam can live with us."

He kissed the top of my head. "Right."

Frank turned around. "Hey! Lovebirds! We`ve got company."

Everybody got into the group with backs to the center. Sam held her machete in front of her while Heidi stayed behind her. Buster bared his teeth and let out a low growl as a decaying mound staggered over the irrigation pipes. Frank loaded his gun and said, "Stay outta the cornfield and shoot only when necessary."

I attached the ammo belt to my bag and loaded my own gun. Frank and Stan took point while Isabel and Hershel took the back. I stayed with my sisters and the dog. This one had been dead a while. It`s fingers were broken and it had patches of green-blue decaying skin. It smelled like rotting flesh. I`m pretty sure the zombie used to be a girl. She looked like she had been no older than Sam.

The dead thing threw itself at Frank and Stan. One shot sounded and it fell over. The bullet hole was straight between the eyes. Isabel tensed as one more fire rang out as a check to make sure it stayed dead. We kept walking with the guns pointed out as a roll of thunder swept over the fields.

The rain thumped against the ground. I grabbed the spare hoodies and travel ponchos I brought. Heidi and Sam too the ponchos while the rest of us took the already soaked hoodies. The group of zombies we saw up the road in pack were scattered now. They were making their way towards us, but now they were aimlessly wandering bumping into each other. I heard Hershel mutter, "The hell-?"

As we passed on the side of the road, the dead didn`t even notice us. I took a memo recorder out of my pocket from my days as a live action news caster. "Note to self: Rain thwarts zombie`s sense of smell."

Stan gave me a questioning look, but I shook him off. He wouldn`t understand why, of all things, I always manage to keep the recorder on me. Isabel looked at the sky and said, in her thick Spanish accent, "Why aren`t they acknowledging us?"

Frank shot her a funny look. "You want them to?"

She smiled. "`Course not. But this is really weird, isn`t it?"

"Yeah. But we should talk about this later and not waste this blessing."

She shrugged. "I guess you`re right. Joey, you get a note of it?"

I nodded. "Sure did. But I agree with Frank, we should keep moving." It took us five more hours to find an old shed filled with farm supplies and set up camp. Lucky for us, there was some dry firewood in there. Only half the roof was on the shed, but the rain hadn`t reached this far, because the ground was dry. I laid out a few blankets and Hershel started a fire. Isabel flipped radio stations to see if she could get anything other than static. It was impossible.

We started a small fire, which wasn`t the smartest idea, but we were all cold and wet. I served canned ravioli to everybody. Surprisingly, canned ravioli doesn`t taste too bad when it`s cold. It just gives you really bad breath. Sam and Heidi fell asleep on Buster as Frank stroked the dog`s head. Isabel was in between Hershel and Frank. Hershel and Stan were having a low conversation while I stoked the fire. I tied a piece of twine to loose bolt in the shed over the fire. The hoodies and ponchos were hanging above so they could dry, along with everybody`s socks. Hershel`s parents had passed their extreme sports survivalist tips to him. The first thing he made everybody do was take off their socks.

He said, "Well, you wanna walk on blistered feet. `cause nobody here`s inclined to carry you." I admit the socks would get all crunchy the next day and it would be painful to walk. It was only 1:30 in the afternoon,but everybody was completely wiped out from last night. We didn`t get into bed until nine and we were up and moving again by midnight. I was surprised that Isabel wasn`t grouchy. She gets grouchy when she`s sleep deprived.

Being out in the middle of nowhere, in a small shed, in the middle of a wheat field, was the safest place we`d been in two weeks. Every other night we`d been on the ground floor of an apartment building, or in a house. We were going through hell right now, so this "safe" forest, better be worth something. I drifted off into a light sleep, cuddling my gun and Stan`s arm.


	2. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Three weeks had passed since we`d shot and buried Heshel`s walking corpse. Everyone looked like a train wreck, and everyone was super touchy. Heidi and Sam were the happiest ones, because they hadn`t known Hershel that well. Frank was more angry with Hershel than anything else. He kept muttering stuff like dumb ass and insensitive creep under his breath. Isabel hadn`t been talking for the past three days, and Stan was staying up most nights until I made him get some rest.

I think if anyone, Stan would be taking the hardest blow. Him and Hershel were like brothers and they were inseparable in every way. The dark circles under his eyes had grown even darker, he didn`t eat much, and he just didn`t seem to care. Isabel spent most days with my sisters, pretending to be happy just for their sake. But, most nights she would stay up with Stan and cry until her eyes couldn`t water any longer.

We were in Cheyenne, Wyoming by now. Not that it matters. We were still weeks away from reaching the forest. It was the middle of a gloomy, gray day. We hadn`t run into zombies for days, which was surprising. We walked to the outskirts of town when the rain started. At first it was a few drops, but within seconds, it was absolute downpour. We couldn`t afford to let anyone catch a cold or the flu, so we stopped in an old railway station. The place had been looted, but it was still shelter with oil lanterns and matches. We made a little fire in the fireplace and warmed up.

After we`d been there for an hour, Heidi chirped, "Is it gonna get dark soon? I wanna play fetch with Buster." She pointed to the sleeping, nearly dry animal in the corner of the room.

Isabel replied, "Not today Heidi. We`re probably all tired, so why don`t we get some rest?"

She nodded her head and curled up on my lap. Sam was leaning against the wall. She`d been out for a while now, but she looked so much more peaceful than anybody else. It was almost like she thought this whole thing would just blow over within a matter of days. I stroked Heidi`s hair and prompted, "We should all sleep. Stan, Isabel, you guys especially."

Isabel wrapped herself up in a sweatshirt and closed her eyes, but Stan just stared at the ground. "Why did this happen?", he mumbled.

Frank looked at him. "You say something` pal?"

Stan kept his gaze fixed, but made his voice a bit louder. "Why did it have to happen? Why now? Why us? Why has it taken the people it has? Who frickin` deserved this crap?"

Frank looked up and said, "Maybe we`ll never know, maybe it`ll come to surface. It really depends. For now, let`s be happy we`re alive."

"Are we really _living_, or are we just living? How can we be happy with all that`s going on, and we don`t even have an explanation. I just…"

Stan`s sentence trailed off as he closed his eyes and leaned back against the wooden walls. His breathing grew deeper, but he looked even more trouble in his sleep. I turned to Frank, "I`m just happy he`s getting some sleep. This whole thing`s really shaken him up."

Frank nodded. "Yeah, Isabel too. Were they that close to Hershel?"

"Mm-hm. It had started with just Stan and Hershel. They were like brothers. Isabel came into the picture in first grade. She was new and her and Hershel really hit it off. I came in third grade, after Stan had already lived in the Main St. Orphanage for like, eight months."

Frank shrugged. "Well, nothing we can do about it now. How`re you takin` it?"

I stopped stroking Heidi`s hair for a moment while I thought. "Pretty well, I guess. Sure Hershel was one of my best friends, but we had our differences. I just regret not saying goodbye. If I had known…"

"We all would`ve said goodbye. That`s the only thing that matters in a time like this is closure. Nobody wants remorse, but sometimes we ain`t got a choice."

"Yeah, I guess." I shrugged it off a carefully scooted against the wall. "I`m gonna take a nap. Will you keep guard?"

Frank nodded and relaxed a little. He leaned on the wall, too, but he kept his eyes trained on the door and windows.

When I woke up, it was still raining. It hadn`t let up at all. It was storming and Buster was cowering under Sam`s limp arm. Everyone else was still asleep, including Frank. I sighed lightly pushed Heidi off my lap and stood up. My legs were stiff, my back was achy, and my feet were sore. I stretched, yawned, and then went to see if I could find a car that might have gas. Lucky for us, I found a big van out in the parking lot, than nearly had a full tank. Relief washed over me. I`m used to walking a lot, but if _my_ feet are sore, then I know everyone else feels it too.

I walked back in, soaked and shivering, and woke up Frank. "Frank! Hey! C`mon, get up!", I whispered.

"Mm, what?", he said still half asleep.

"I found a car! A big one with gas!" It took him a moment, but finally he realized what I was saying. When he did, I could tell he was trying really hard to keep his voice down. I continued, "We can leave tomorrow morning, or after everybody gets up. What d`ya say?"

He nodded eagerly. "Sure! I can`t believe it! You know how lucky we are? Oh, man, a day without sore feet."

"Then it`s settled, we leave after everyone gets up. I`ll start getting our stuff loaded. I wonder if there`s anything in the trunk. The whole things in tact, there`s a full tank, and the keys are on that table over there."

Within the hour, we were all in the van with a discovery of two extra axes, five combat knives, and three rifles. Not to mention a ton of extra ammo. I don`t think we`ve could`ve hit anymore of a jackpot than that. You know, it`s really funny that before all this, a jackpot would be an Audi or 500 billion dollars or a big house. Now it`s extra weapons, better survival chances, and even a really beat up clunker. Five weeks, and we`ve hit rock bottom.

I drove with Stan in the passenger seat, Frank and Isabel in the captain`s seats, and the girls in the back seat with Buster. The car also held an abundant supply of canned items and chips. We were ten miles down the road when the rain finally stopped. There was still some thunder off in the distance, but nothing more. Stan pulled a laptop out of the glove compartment. "Hey, look at this. I think there`s a hotspot in here too. I`ve got Wi-Fi."

I smiled and said, "Well, I think the world`s starting to like us a little more. Check the news websites, would ya?"

He nodded. "Alright here`s CNN. Stop driving and take a look at this." I braked and took the computer. The page read:

June 25, 2016 Deadly Virus Strikes World: Not Only Causes it, but Brings it Back

Scientists were baffled at the stunning result of a lab test. They had designed a new form of lethal injection, only to discover that not only did it bring death, it brought the dead back. This product was in the middle of being FDA approved when the lab results came back, banning all labs and prisons from using this chemical. The chemical rapidly killed the convict, however, moments later the convict came back to life and started viciously attacking the warrants and scientists. Pictures were intended to be posted, however the graphics were deemed to gruesome and violent for public viewing. The convict did not stop until all were dead, which those later came back too. Military was sent in to contain the situation. One shot to the head killed the dead.

June 31, 2016: Deathly Epidemic Strikes, Bringing Back our Dearly Departed

Following last week`s scientific breakthrough, an epidemic that brings around the same results of walking dead, has spread worldwide. Businesses are already being shut down, and public areas are no longer open. Military personnel is allowed only to these areas. This is not a drill. We all warn you to stock up on non-perishable items and supplies that will last a while. We repeat this is not a er'c ooooehiqlu/gbu

Apparently our friendly reporter had been bitten while writing. Gloom was on me now. "That`s so sad. Well, nothing else, right?"

Stan nodded. "Yeah, the computer`s nearly dead and there`s no charger. Might as well put it away now."

He shut the lid and put the computer back. In a low voice I said, "Stan, are you doing okay? You seem…worn."

He remained quiet, gave me a thumbs up, and stared out the window. I just rolled my eyes. Men will never truly express themselves unless they`re married to some hard-core, _true_ woman. Isabel and was playing tic-tac-toe with Sam. Frank was snoozing and Heidi was trying to not die from Buster smothering her. We were in the middle of nowhere, past Cheyenne and who knows where else. There was absolutely nothing on the road, but there were several collided cars on the side of the road. I nudged Stan. "We should probably be careful. Are you seeing all the crashed cars?"

He nodded. "Better to safe than sorry, especially now. Just keep up with your surroundings. I`ll watch the rearview mirror."

I shuddered. "It`s kinda creepy, isn`t it?"

"It`s all creepy. There`s no 'kinda'".

"I know that smart ass. I`m just saying, this is like we stepped into a George Ramero movie. I mean, seriously, zombies, shot guns, dramatic plot twists that deal with shooting you best friend? George Ramero and M. Night Shalyman, man. I don`t get it."

"What`s there to get. We survived, and now dead people are getting up and trying to eat us. There`s nothing to understand about it."

"Well, aren`t you a little curious."

"Sure, but do you see any scientists who can sit down and explan this to us?"

"Alright, I get wise crack." He smiled, content to have won the argument. I sighed and relaxed a little. We had a car, we had weapons, we had food, and we had each other. But I couldn`t bring myself to come to circumstances with it. Something was off about it and it kept nagging at the back of my mind. Future generations were seriously impacted by this, if there were going to be in future generations.

That made me laugh. When I was growing up, they`d always told us that we were in charge of what was going to happen. Well, the card holders messed up. Even if we apologize to the world about it, not much is going to happen. Oh well, I guess we have learn from our mistakes, but here and now, one more mistake means no more chances.


	3. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was chilly when we pulled over. We were at the base of a huge mountain, but it was still cold enough. It was nearly September, but we were still a couple weeks away from fall. Sam shivered as she stepped out of the car. "Brrrr! It`s cold out here sis! Why can`t we stay in the car with the heat?"

I scooped up Heidi and ruffled Sam`s hair. "We want to save the battery, or do you want to keep walking?"

She shook her head and clutched to Stan`s arm. "Even Stanny`s pretty cold."

Frank, still half asleep dragged his feet against the dirt with Isabel at his side and Buster tagging along. He yawned and stretched. I heard his back crack and we walked in through the door. Stan pushed forward first with his gun`s flashlight lighting up the dark corners. Nothing inside. I flipped the light on. There was buzzing, followed by the low hum of the generator as the lights flicked on. The small station was almost immediately filled with a low yellow light.

I threw the blankets from the van on to the ground and handed everybody a hoodie. "I think it`s going to get colder, seeing as the moon`s not even up and we`re all shivering. We should probably buddy up with people to sleep with for warmth. Or, we can sleep in a big group. What should we do?"

Heidi and Sam latched around Buster`s neck. And in unanimously said, "Group!"

Frank shrugged, "No preference."

Isabel said, "I`m with Frank. Besides, we should boost survival chances by sleeping in a group."

Stan slung his shoulder over me. "I`m not willing to take the risk of freezing to death. That would be a stupid way to doe after all this."

I nodded. "Then it`s settled!" After getting into the hoodies and dividing the blankets out evenly, we lit the fire and settled in. Sam and Heidi slept in between Stan and I. Frank was conked out next to Stan with Isabel on his shoulder. Buster was stretched out on top of all of us.

It was actually pretty comfy. Stan had his arm around my sisters and I while Frank had his head on Isabel`s, which was on his shoulder.

I woke up at daybreak when I heard an awful sound. I looked over to the door, which was cracked open and saw Isabel kneeling over Frank`s crouching body. Curious I shrugged Sam off my arm and walked outside. "Hey, Is everything okay?"

Isabel shook her head, obviously worried. "It`s Frank he was running a fever when I heard him run outside about ten minutes ago. I came out and, well…"

There it was. Frank was puking his guts out onto the frozen ground. He shuddered and staggered up. "Don`t worry, it`s nothing much. Just a stomach bug."

I walked over to him. "How long have you been sick?"

He shrugged. "Couple of days, I know I should`ve told you guys but…"

I slapped him, but he shook it off. Isabel stood behind us. I yelled, "Damn right you shoulda told us! What, with two little kids in tow it never occurred to you to tell any one of us?"

"I`m really sorry, but I didn`t think we`d need any other things to worry about. Besides, I`m a grown man and this is the best I`ve felt in days, so I know I`m getting better. Sam and Heidi are strong girlies, they`ll be able to fight it before they get sick. Okay?"

I raised my hand in order to slap him even harder. He winced as I threw my arms around him. He was in shock, I could feel his face pale. "We can`t lose somebody else. Just tell us next time okay…if there is a next time."

He nodded. "Man, you`re like my mother." Same old Frank. I realized that his fever must`ve been pretty bad, because I slapped him hard and it wasn`t showing against his flushed cheeks. Isabel walked with him inside. He lay down under some blankets and fell asleep.

I looked at him. "That explains the load of sleeping he`s been doing."

Stan squirmed a little as he got out of the makeshift bed. He looked at my watery eyes. "Everything okay, Joe?"

I nodded. "Mm, yeah. We`re going to have to stay here for a while. Frank`s gone and gotten himself sick."

Stan threw in arm around my waist and kissed my head. "We could all probably use the break anyway."

When Sam and Heidi woke up, we explained to them that we`d be staying her for a while. They were excited to have somewhere to stay. They ran out to the car and got Buster`s tennis ball and his rag. It was nice and peaceful for about a day.

On our second day in the train station, we got a visitor. Not a dead one, but two living ones. It was a fifteen year old girl and her little brother, about Sam`s age. It started it out with Frank blowing chunks again, and then everybody else sleeping in late. Around noon, a gun barrel, poked open the door. A girl`s voice said, "Hello? Anybody here?"

I pushed the barrel down towards the floor and heard a scream. I swung open the door and said, "Hey! Calm down! Geez!"

She nearly fainted when a boy grabbed her arm. "Sis, calm down would`ya?"

She took several deep breaths before saying, "Oh, I`m sorry. I`m easy to scare naturally, but with all this…"

I saw the tears before they could streak down her cheeks. Stan put a hand on her shoulder and led them inside. He calmly said, "Hey, it`s all right. We know exactly what you`re feeling. Just let it out."

Fifteen minutes of heavy sobbing later, the girl said, "My name is Kate. I`m fifteen, and this is my younger brother Thatchery. He`s twelve."

Thatchery politely smiled. "I go by Thatch. Who are you guys?"

I gestured to everyone in the room. "Well, I`m Joey, these are my sisters, Sam and Heidi, my boyfriend, Stan, Isabel is over there, and Frank is the sick one. The dog is Buster. Where you guys comin` from?"

Kate answered all the questions. "We`re coming from Tulsa, which was hit pretty hard. Our parents turned and tried to kill us, our little sister was already dead. Thatch and I have been looking for people to travel with. When we saw the van with the keys missing, we assumed, well, you know."

I nodded. "We`re coming from Iowa. Right now we`re going to this forest that`s still a while away, but it`s supposed to be safe. You wanna join us?"

Kate nearly choked me when she hugged me. She started crying again. Thatch just rolled his eyes and shrugged. As soon as Sam saw Thatch, I could tell she wanted to be friends. She invited him to play fetch with her, Buster, and Heidi.

As it turned out, their parents were doctors, and Kate was following in their footsteps. She took care of Frank. I could tell he wasn`t too enthusiastic about medical advice from a fifteen year old, but we didn`t give him a choice. We had room in the van, there was plenty of food and weapons, and we were going to be in the station for a while. It was all set.

The kids spent the afternoon playing, and Frank was up and moving around for a while. When I saw him out of bed, I flipped. "Frank! The hell do ya think you`re doin` outta bed?"

He smiled and shrugged. "I`m sick, but I can still work. The fever`s gone down, so it shouldn`t be a problem."

I smiled and nodded. "Asshole."

Isabel was talking with Kate about any health issues or anything of that sort. As it turns out, Kate had an awful asthma attack just days before and her brother was the one taking care of her. I walked over there as Kate saying, "Thatch is the brave one. He`s the one who tried to save our parents after they had been bitten, he watched them die, he watched them get up, he gave them their second death. He hasn't been shaken by it openly, but I can`t imagine it."

Isabel squeezed Kate`s shoulder and showed her around. They spent the afternoon talking introducing everybody and such. Thatch and Sam almost immediately bonded and they spent the rest of the day goofing off. I put Heidi down for a nap, since she looked tired, and Stan was out looking for supplies. I was singing Heidi to sleep when Stan came back, he had a bad expression on his face.

He slammed the door open. "We need to leave! There`s a huge mob in the back field! Come on, now!"

Nobody hesitated. We had done it so many times by now, it was natural and instinctive. We scooped up everything and wasted no time speeding the car out of there. I looked in the rearview mirror, and saw a huge mob of what looked like a large family breaking through the windows and trampling down the door of the old station.

Stan braked, and through an oil lamp we`d found in the station behind us. The old wood burned almost too fast, taking every thing dead with it. The flames were so bright I had to avert my eyes from the mirrors and roll up the windows to block out the heat. Stan let out a deep breath and looked in the windshield mirror. "Hey, Frank, you okay man?"

Frank was catching his breath and in between coughing said, "Yeah, No, I`m cool. That was close."

Isabel nodded and Thatch was calming down his sister. She was shuddering in his small, twelve year old arms that barely made it around her shoulders. "Hey, Kate, we`re okay. Look, we`re all right, okay? Calm down sis."

He had tears in his eyes, but somehow he restrained himself. Maybe it was for his sister`s good, but he was feeling it more than she was. And Kate had no idea that he was on the verge of a breakdown. Sam and Heidi were nearly choking Buster. It was obvious that no matter how often they saw them, they would never get used to it, because they had lived in a time before all of this happened. Seeing dead people walking around was not normal.

I had goose bumps and Stan was jiggling his right leg. We had evacuated so many times before, but the sight of the poor creatures always got to us. If the car lasted about three more days, we would get to the forest in no time. I could tell it wasn`t though. We were already on the empty sign. It was just a matter of time now. We had about two weeks before we would get there by foot. Just in time for fall.

I turned to Stan and whispered, "Hon, you see how low we are on gas?"

He nodded gravely. "It doesn`t matter. We can still stay in the car while Frank recovers, then we`ll be on our way."

I shrugged. "I guess. He was feeling better today. Maybe, we`ll be on our way in three days max."

"Yeah. That`d be cool. Then we`d get there just as the warm weather is out of season."

I could here Isabel hand Frank an extra jacket. Both were asleep, along with Kate and the rest in no time. Stan was zoned out at the same time as just focusing on the road ahead. I left him alone and stared outside the window. It was already getting dark out and the empty plains and mountain ranges rolled by. There was absolutely nothing. I heard some moaning come from the fields, followed by the cries of some innocent animal. I grimaced as the sound reached the car.

Stan shifted. Maybe he was listening for something. I shuddered as I realized there was nothing to listen to. I looked at him through the window reflection. "Hey Stan, did you hear that just now?"

He nodded slowly, then carefully chose his words. "Yeah. Porr thing. But it`s better than one of us…"

His sentence trailed off. I frowned. "Yeah. You`re right. But if it had been one of us, would you stop sleeping again?"

He tensed. "Damn it, don`t bring that up."

I shrugged. "I`m just curious, but if it were me, you would keep your promise, right?"

He sighed. "My promise about following you? I…I can`t. It would be my job to look after Heidi and Sam. They`re practically my sisters, or even my own daughters." I smiled. That made me happy. The fact that he`d be willing to give up more for who I care about rather than myself…I was mad at myself for not being more like that. He grew unsteady. "Hey, did I say something wrong Joe?"

I shook my head, with tears in my eyes, knowing what he would give for me. With a cracked voice I said, "No. Nothing wrong." Then I started sobbing and letting out everything.

He braked and looked at me seriously. "You sure? I`m sorry I couldn`t keep that promise…I just…well…yeah."

I smiled and threw my arms around his neck, while silent tears streamed down my cheeks. "I wouldn`t want you to keep that promise. There are things so much more important right now."

I gently held me against his chest. He was so warm. I relaxed into his jacket and his strong hands carefully caressed my cheek. He whispered, "I love you Joe. And when this is all over, you`ll marry me right?"

I nodded and wiped tears off my face. "Of course." We sat in silence until the car ran out of gas five hours later. The van shuddered to a stop and let a squeak as the tires unwillingly stopped and the van stalled. The eight of us were stranded in the dark, cool night in a mini van.


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I woke up, the sun had been up for a while. I yawned and stretched. First one up. The earth was warm under my bare feet. Stan was loudly snoring next to me and the mud had long since dried. My sisters were cuddled against Buster, Isabel and Hershel sleeping with one head on the other`s shoulder. _Mmm, what a beautiful day. Almost makes you want to forget…_, I thought to myself. Stan flipped over and grabbed my ankle. "What is it?"

"Where you goin` babe? You know I don`t feel comfortable with anyone going anywhere alone.", he grumbled.

It took a second for me to figure out what he was saying in his groggy, gravely voice. "Oh, I`m just gonna get some fresh air that`s all. Be right back."

He flopped his head down against a log and I heard his breaths grow longer again. I stepped outside and was greeted be sun in my eyes. The one thing we forgot to bring was a pair of sunglasses. I leaned against the side of the shed and took it all in. The rural areas looked too normal and untouched to make feel any better. After about five minutes of thinking, I felt warm tears slip down my cheeks. The salty drops landed on my lips and before I knew it, I was completely falling apart.

I don`t know how much later, but a firm strong hand patted my back. I was wearing a tank top right now, and I could feel calluses with no soft skin. I glanced up as I watched Stan let out an exasperated sigh. He sat next to me and pulled me to his side. I leaned on his shoulder, and looked up. Only now did I realize how worn he looked.

There were dark circles under his eyes and he just _looked_ tired. I could only imagine how bad he was feeling 13 nights with almost no sleep. A wave of guilt washed over me. "Stan, are you okay?"

He frowned. "I think I should be the one asking you. What`re you thinking?"

I knew Stan would understand my answer. His parents died when we were just kids. He`s been through this before. "I was just wondering how Heidi and Sam feel with all the death walking around. I mean my parents, and after all that I would never be able to live with myself if I were forced to abandoned them after all that. I think, no, I _know_ I would rather die."

"Stop thinking like that." This was the first time I had heard even a hint of anger in his voice in a few years. Even after all of this he still managed to keep his cool.

"Why are you so mad?"

"I won`t let you die. And if you die, I die right after you."

"And why do I die first?"

"So you won`t have to deal with my death." I was quiet. I know we were dating and all, but he cares that much. I felt a warm spot grow inside of me. Something zombies don`t have is humanity.

I kissed him forcefully, taking him by surprise and whispered, "Thank you."

He kissed me right back and with in seconds we were nearly chewing on each other when I heard a man`s voice. "Well, if that`s not love I don`t know what love is."

Stan and I stopped almost immediately. I looked up to see a tall guy with a big, goofy grin spread on his face. I felt my cheeks flushed and said, "Frank! Sleep well?"

He nodded and stretched. "I think your sisters are gonna steal my dog though. You two can continue, it may not look it but, I had game before this. I know you`re probably eager, but the last thing we need is a baby with all of this."

Stan sat up, brushed some dirt off his shirt and said, "We weren`t even thinking about it. Not until after we reach a place to stay."

I nodded and recollected myself. I`m going to see if I can`t find any water. Later."

Isabel popped her head out of the shed. "Wait for me! I`ll come with!"

Hershel followed Isabel out. "Looks like us men folk are babysitting huh?"

I laughed and said, "Damn right. Don`t burn each other or the shed, deal?"

Frank made a mock salute. "Yes ma`am."

Isabel and I walked off looking for a pump or an irrigation ditch somewhere. Isabel turned to me and said, "We`ve got to be careful. There`s not raining anymore."

I smirked. "You think I`m crazy enough to travel without a weapon when we`re in the middle of nowhere?"

"Well, unless you have a death wish."

"I don`t have one of those. If anything, I have a survival wish. Let me ask you something."

"Shoot."

"You`ve known Stan longer than I have. How does he keep his cool?"

"Well, his parents died when we were all kids, but you almost never talked to him at the time that happened. You were the noobie. We were in what? Second grade? Well, he used to lose his temper all the time when people brought it up. But he went through some grief counseling in the orphanage, and he learned that he has no reason to be mad. He couldn`t have done anything. By the time he got home from school that night, they`d been dead long enough for the blood to stop pooling."

"Oh. How were they killed anyway? I`ve asked him once a few years ago. He got really mad at me and told me it`s not something he wants to surface and that I should just shut up about it. It was our first date."

"Sounds like him. His parents were shot. The dad was an FBI agent and his mom was a prosecutor. They were close to bringing down a highly dangerous drug-dealing gangster that killed anyone and everyone if he had a reason. He beat a five year old to near death for pranking him with the old 'empty gum wrapper' trick. Anyway, the guy usually sent his cronies after people. However, for this little task he shot them himself, left a note too."

"Sick bastard", I muttered.

"Yeah, no kidding. Y`know when this all started, it was rumored that he was the guy experimenting with disease that started the zombification crap."

"-the hell? No frickin` way? This guy fell for the gum wrapper thing, right? He`d be too stupid."

"You`d think so. Our dads worked together, apparently this guy may seem like a moron but he`s an evil genius when you get down to it."

"Hmph. I don`t like. Sounds too fishy. I thought this was just one the dumb ass mistakes the government makes, but they couldn`t cover up or fix it this time around."

"Who knows?" Isabel shrugged the subject away and pointed just in front of us. "Look! A water pump!"

"Thank god. I need some. I`m parched."

"No kidding! Good timing!" It took all of our strength combined and five tries to get water to come out. Sure it was well water, but it`s definitely better than nothing. The water was cool as it splashed against the buckets from the shed and onto my skin. It was refreshing to say the least.

It took way too much effort to get all three buckets filled with water back to our crash site. The buckets were kind of heavy to begin with, but filled with water it`s like comparing a mouse to an elephant. When we got back, Heidi and Sam were throwing a broken part of a rake handle with Buster. He was barking and running around in circles. Looking over, I saw the guys, all of them had grim expressions.

Isabel must`ve noticed too, because she said, "Hey guys! What`s with the long faces? Is it bad news?"

Frank shook his head. "Worse news."

I tilted my head and looked at them. "What is it? What happened? Are Heidi and Sam alright?"

Frank spilled first. "`Course they`re fine, we wouldn`t let them get hurt. But it`s Hershel and Isabel. They`ve been meaning to tell us something, but, chickened out. Hershel it`s your news."

Hershel cleared his throat and clearly stated, "Isabel and I are leaving tomorrow morning. We want to spread out on our own and become not so dependent on a large group. Besides if one of you dies, I`d never be able to live with myself, and I`m pretty sure the same thing goes for Isabel. We`ve been sleeping together for quite a while now, and we trust each other."

I stared at him then yelled at Isabel. "Why the hell didn`t you frickin` tell me? I thought this was a frickin` team effort but obviously not! Stan, say something god dammit!"

He just stared at his feet. "Son of a bitch."

Frank bent down. "Stan? You okay?"

Stan shook his head. "I`m not. I`m not okay. Not with this. You guys need to stay here. None of us can afford to lose anymore than we already have. There`s no reason for you to leave. At least, not a practical one."

Hershel shook him. "Well, what do you expect us to do? Wait around for death to come a-knockin`? `Cause I`m not. No way in hell! Besides who are you to talk about losses? You`ve never lost anybody in your entire life!"

Stan did something that really surprised me. His fist, made physical contact with Hershel`s face. "Shut up. You don`t know what you`re talking about. We`ve all had losses and sacrifices. You`re such a dumb ass Hershel, be happy we`ve been watching you for the last couple of weeks. Without us you`d be dead as a doornail."

Hershel staggered to his feet, obviously with a broken nose. "I can live on my own with Isabel. And if I die, I`m not doing it alone. Isabel`s coming with me."

Isabel shook her head. "I didn`t have a say in this. Just because I`m your little doll that you think you can boss around, I`m not going. I`m not dying. I will survive, and right now, I can do it without you. Wether you like it or not, I`m going to stay."

I could feel the get much, much cooler all of a sudden. Hershel tensed up, sighed, grabbed his gun and left. We were to mad at him to say goodbye. I let my best friend go like that. No goodbyes, no tying loose ends. Just pissing him off enough to make him leave 12 hours early. And I wish I had said goodbye.

You know when people ask you that if you can take one thing or change one little detail in the past what would it be? Well, I wish I had kept my cool, and persuaded Hershel to stay. If I couldn`t I wish I had said goodbye at least just the words. Now looking back, I wished I had hugged him and given him more ammo. The night before, we emptied all of the guns to see how much ammo we had left, and we still hadn`t reloaded them.

Hershel left with an unloaded gun.

Three days later, we were walking down an old, seeming unused back road. We saw a humungous blood stain, what looked like it had once been pooled when it was fresh. I stepped in it. It was sticky and warm and altogether disgusting. Flies were buzzing around it, and ants were swarming in. I had no idea that ants liked blood. It made me shiver thinking of how I used to pick them up when I was young and they`d bite my fingers. Not long after we heard a low moaning.

Soon we found the source. It was a single zombie, a roamer, if you will, that had a broken ankle and broken neck with a huge whole in its stomach. Isabel was the first to recognize the figure. She nearly collapsed. "Omygod, omygod, omygod!"

I grabbed her shoulders and bent a little to get eye-level. "What`s wrong?"

Tears started spilling down her cheeks. "You mean you don`t recognize him? The University of Chicago shirt, the collar, and the glasses…oh god, the glasses."

I stared. "Now that you mention it, it kinda looks like…no way. No way in hell."

I could feel my cheeks paling out. Stan turned around, I could hear his voice quivering, "Isabel, you have the right to give him peace. You loved him. Go ahead."

She nodded and choked out, "Mm, thanks Stan." She grabbed the rifle, took aim and fired one shot at his knee. He fell to the ground. The next shot went straight between the eyes and he stopped moving.

On August 24, 2018, Isabel gave the man she loved, Hershel Dwight Bennington a second death and final peace.

We will all miss him and grieve until we can`t stand our self-pity anymore.

(End Chapter 2 of 'The Time Before'; August 17, 2011)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sunlight streamed in through the tinted windows. The bright light was barely peeking over the mountains when we were all up. Frank was the last to get up along with Kate. Stan's hair was disheveled and his face was cold, but he looked warm. I smiled as I remembered last night. Isabel stretched and yawned as she readjusted her legs. Thatch, Sam, and Heidi were groggy, but we needed to make the most of our day. Especially since we didn't have a car now. Two more weeks of walking.

Frank's fever was mostly gone now, but he still threw up frequently. This worried us, but he was the oldest out of all of us. He told us not to worry, and I know we all wanted to believe him. Isabel kept a careful watch on him. Buster growled every time Frank stopped for a minute. It wasn't smart for him to be walking in his condition. I turned and said, "Frank, are you sure we just shouldn't find some shelter and stay there till you get better?"

He nodded gingerly. "I'm positive."

Isabel made a big deal out of it by pleading, "Please Joey! We need to stay for a couple more days!"

I was fine with it, but Stan replied that we didn't have "a couple more days". He caught my expression and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Heidi grabbed my hand. I looked back and caught Sam absent-mindedly slipping her hand into Thatch's. He looked at her because of this, but smiled and didn't resist. I could see her blush and a small smile crawled over my own face. Buster started growling again as Frank went into a coughing fit. We all stopped when blood started to trickle out of his mouth. Kate instantly made him sit down and cough into a scrap of cloth. The bad thing was we were pretty sure that the zombies could pick up the sent of his blood.

Frank started shivering and Buster whimpered. Buster circled around Frank a few times. Isabel held him to her chest and stroked his hair. She sucked in a breath and whispered, "He's fever's risen again."

Stan muttered a few swears. Frank mumbled, "You should just leave me here. There's no way I can go any further right now. At this rate I'll be dead in no time. I can't be holding you back. Not a bunch of kids. I don't want that blood on my hands."

Isabel coaxed, "We're not leaving you. We don't want your blood on our hands either, Frank. We'll just find some shelter okay?"

"But Stan…"

"It'll be fine. Regardless of what he says, he understands the severity of this." Thatch and Sam came back, although I really hadn't realized they'd left. Thatch was holding a bucket of water. Isabel gave him a puzzled look and asked, "Where did you get that?"

Sam pointed to the left and answered, "There's a river not too far. It'll have to do for right now."

Thatch handed Kate the bucket. She made Frank gurgle before spitting out the red water. We stayed for about 15 minutes until Frank's body calmed down. Isabella was supporting him one side and Kate had the other. We had to slow down quite a bit, which I'm sure pissed Stan off, but we didn't really have a choice at this point. Thatch and Sam walked behind everyone, keeping a watch out for all of us. Buster walked with them and Heidi held on to my hand. After four hours, Frank had stopped five times to throw up. He was getting even worse than he'd been originally. There was a cabin about 100 yards from us. A little glacial stream ran behind it and it was raised above the ground with an obvious basement. I pointed at it and said, "I think we should stop there for a little while."

Stan gave me a look. "We don't have the time Joey. At this rate, we'll just be making it before Winter hits. And we're in the mountains. We can't stop." I stopped walking and gave him a stern look. He asked, "What? We don't have a car now, we've got more people to take of, and Frank went and got himself sick. Time is of the matter, Joey. We don't have enough to stop."

I marched up to him and slapped him. He looked at me, dumbstruck. I asked, "So what? You're just going to help one of the people we're taking care of make their way to death? No, Stan. We are stopping and that's final." He glared at me, but we all went to the cabin anyway. I opened the door with my gun first. We walked in to guns pointed at us. There was a teenage boy and some old coot looking at us.

The coot spit on the floor and asked, "And who are you?"  
>I answered, "I'm Joey. Look, we're survivors, making our way North. Our friend is sick and we need to wait until he gets better."<p>

The other guy lowered his weapon said to the old guy, "Dan, I think we should let them in."

Dan growled, "Stand your ground Matthias." Matthias held up his gun once again and Dan said, "Bring in the sick one. You've got quite the posse there. Let's see. Matthias, there are…four kids, four adults, and one dog. Nine. Make arrangements." Matthias set his gun down and went downstairs, bringing up some extra blankets. Dan sighed, "You're luck to've found us and not the damned. They're all over this place now. People who were making their way up North and got dead instead."

Matthias introduced himself and Dan. He frowed and bluntly said, "I'm Matthias. You can call me Matt, but most people don't. That's Crazy Dan, but he just goes by Dan now. Not enough people left for him to be deemed crazy now. You're almost past the Rockies, but you're still a whiles away from the village thing that's being built."

Stan muttered, "Yeah, don't we know." Matthias shrugged and went to another room. Stan asked, "So why'd you hole up here?"

Dan answered, "My house. Matthias, the poor kid, was making his way up here alone. Found him half starved and completely delirious on the road while I was patrolling a couple weeks back. He's good to have around. He's level headed and calm. Smart, too. Sure he's a little…cold, but you should take him with you when you go."

I went back outside and made a note to myself on my recorder. Stan came out not long after and rubbed his hand over his shoulder. He grabbed me in a hug from behind and held me against his chest. We stood like that for a while before he sighed, "I'm sorry, Joe. I just…I don't even know what I was thinking. You were right and I was being stupid." He kissed my ear and I reached a hand back, stroking his hair as he rested his head on my shoulder and we swayed a little bit before going inside. Matthias and Kate were taking care of Frank. He'd started to cough up blood again. Matthias was calming Kate down while making Frank stay upright so he didn't choke on his own blood.

Isabel was sitting in the far corner of the room with Heidi on her lap while she watched Frank cautiously. Sam and Thatchery were leaned against a wall, with the dog on their laps. They were absently petting the dog and talking. Matt absently patted Kate's shoulder and made the most terrified expression as she plowed him over in a hug. I laughed a little to myself. Maybe things were going to be okay after all. Frank fell asleep with Isabel lovingly stroking his hair. Dan looked at us and observed, "Ya folks been to hell an' back then?"

Stan shrugged and nodded. "Yeah. Pretty much, but who hasn't? That Matt kid seems like he's pretty dependable."

"I told ya to take 'im with you. I don't think I'm gonna be 'ere much longer otherwise I'd take 'im in. He deserves to see this through."

"I'll keep that in mind." I looked out the window to see the sun going down quickly and the cold night took over. Matt shivered when Dan opened the door to go get water. I wrapped my arm around him as Stan laughed, "Welcome to the family kiddo." Matt nodded, not too much showing through.

I asked, "So you were coming up here alone?"

He sighed, "I was an only child and Mom and Dad didn't make it through the first time this hit."

"Did you leave?"

"Well I shot them first. What else was I gonna do?" I nodded and compared him to Tuck and Kate. They'd shot their parents but were more emotional. "I know what you're thinking and I get that I'm not the only kid who shot their parents, but it's still hard no matter what, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Besides, those two have each other."

"So you never had any siblings?"

"Nope. Barely had parents too. No friends and hardly any family."

"You've always been this…"

"What? Cold shouldered? Yeah. Pretty much. You don't have to take me with."

"Dan asked us to."

"So?"

"So we're going to whether you like it or not."


End file.
